​Arrival: During the night we sailed along the northern coast of Iceland and in the early morning entered another fjord, Skutulsfjordur, to anchor about a mile from the small town of Isafjordur. The morning brought us a fantastic sunrise as well as a cloudy, but rain free day.

Beautiful sunrise to start the day

Approaching Isafjordur

Town of Isafjordur - population less than 3,000

​History: During the 9th century a Norwegian, Helgi Magri Hrolfsson, landed on Skutulsfjordur. For about 50 years afterward, settlers would call this area home and make their living off the land and sea. In 1536, Denmark took possession of Iceland and developed the small fishing village into an important trading site because of the excellent harbor. Salt fish was the main export. Today’s population is about 3,000.​Going Ashore: Not long after the ship was anchored, we were able to board the tenders for a short ride to shore. From the pier, it was a very short walk into town. We spent most of the morning walking around town taking photos. The surrounding mountains, lakes and beautiful flowers made for a scenic walk, and the unique and colorful old houses were also very interesting. The town now has a new, modern hospital so the former hospital is now the town’s library. Each of the small rooms of the former hospital was filled with books of all topics and had a great area for children. For lunch we stopped at the bakery and indulged ourselves with a delicious Icelandic cake donut and hot tea.

Tendering from ship to shore

Welcome

Harbor

Direction signs

Walking into town from harbor

Walking into town from harbor

Short walk into town from harbor

Old cars in front of bakery

Walking through town

Flowers, water and mountains

View of water and mountains from main road

Modern Church

Old cemetery behind church

Fishing monument

Culture House

Old hospital is now town's library

Each small room is full of books

Different styles of houses

Different styles of houses

Different styles of houses

Different styles of houses

Different styles of houses

Different styles of houses

Small Catholic church

Ship anchored in harbor about 1 mile off shore

​Excursion: For our afternoon excursion, we traveled on a catamaran for an hour’s ride through the bays and waters of the Glacier Fjords where we saw several humpback whales and, in the distance, Drangajokull Glacier which is the largest glacier in Iceland and also the only one that is still growing, not diminishing. Our destination was the village of Hesteyri located within the Hornstrander Nature Preserve which is the most northern point of northwest Iceland. The village of Hesteyri had been the site of a whaling station and herring-processing factory but was abandoned about 50 years ago. The small houses and buildings left in this very isolated place are now used for summer homes. The nature preserve is a popular place for hikers who are surrounded by seabirds, Arctic foxes, beautiful meadows, rivers, and fjords. After being served Hjonabandssaela (happy marriage cake) and coffee, we boarded the catamaran for the trip back to Isafjordur. The excursion gave us a taste of Icelandic life of years past.

Hour long catamaran ride to remote village and nature reserve

Catamaran arrives at Hestyri - an old fishing village

Direction sign

Shy Arctic fox greets us

Another fox is not as timid, looking for food

Last residents left the village in 1952

Houses remain as summer homes

Houses remain as summer homes

Old cemetery

Old cemetery

Church was moved after residents left. This monument was built in memory of those buried in the cemetery

A few flowers still blooming

Hornstrander Nature Preserve - furthest point of northwest Iceland

Many hiking trails

Many hiking trails

Many hiking trails

Hesteyri River

Hesteyri River

Group coming down the hill...

...and heading back to the catamaran

Drangajskull Glacier - northern most glacier in Iceland and only one still growing every year. We only saw it at a distance.

​Other Possible Sights to See: Other excursions gave passengers the chance to visit Skrudur Botanical Garden which is the oldest in Iceland; the small fishing village of Flateyri which dates back to 1790; the very small island of Vigur which is known for its farming and harvesting the down of the eider ducks and the different museums and churches in and around Isafjordur.

Tropical fruit salad

Seafood dish

Another delicious chocolate dessert

​Northern Lights: Our early dinner and evening’s entertainment was wonderful, as usual, but the best was yet to come. The skies were partly cloudy, but if there were some times of clearing there would be a very good chance to see the Northern Lights. Around 9:45pm, we all gathered on the top decks to hopefully get a glimpse of the lights. The skies cleared around 10pm and we were able to see what we all had been anxiously waiting for – the magnificent Aurora Borealis. The lights stayed around for as long as the skies were clear. I can now check this off my bucket list!

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